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1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

L 


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""i-rv^t- 


f-^^T'' 


PROCEEDINGS 


WASHINGTON  ACADEMY  OF    SCIENCES 


Vol.  II.  pp.  661-676. 


DECeMBER  28,  1900 


PRELIMINARY  REVISION  OF  THE  NORTH 
AMERICAN  RED  FOXES.     ' 

[Pl^ATBS  XXXVI-XXXVII.] 


■  r- 


By  C.  Hart  Merrtam. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Published  by  the  Academy 

1900 


c^a>.^ 


z' 


F*ROCEED'NQS 
or  THB 

WASHINGTON  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES 

Vol.  II,  pp.  661-676.  December  28,  1900. 


PRELIMINARY  REVISION  OF  THE  NORTH 
AMERICAN  RED  FOXES. 

By  C.  Hart  Mbrriam. 
[Pi,ATBS  XXXVI-XXXVII.] 

The  specimens  necessary  for  a  final  revision  of  the  North 
American  Red  Foxes  do  not  exist  in  any  museum.  Never- 
theless the  collections  of  the  U.  S.  Biological  Survey  and 
National  Museum  show  that  several  well-marked  forms  have 
escaped  description,  and  furnish  material  for  a  preliminary 
study  of  the  group. 

For  many  years  it  has  been  customary  to  refer  all  our  red 
foxes,  with  the  single  exception  of  specimens  from  the  far  west, 
to  Vulfes  fulvus  Desmarest;  and  some  naturalists  have  con- 
sidered this  animal  the  same  as  Vulpes  vtUfes  of  northern 
Europe  and  Siberia.  Outram  Bangs,  in  a  paper  published  in 
the  Proceedings  of  the  Biological  Society  of  Washington  in 
March  1897  (vol.  xi,  pp.  SJr^S),  stated  that  the  American 
species  is  quite  distinct  from  the  European  and  pointed  out  the 
characters  by  which  either  may  be  distinguished  from  the  other ; 
at  the  same  time  he  described  a  new  fox  from  Nova  Scotia, 
which  he  named  Vulfes  -pennsylvanica  vafra}  A  year  later 
Mr.  Bangs  described  another  species,  from  Newfoundland, 
which  he  named  Vulpes  deletrix.^ 

Baird,  in  the  Report  of  Stansbury's  Expedition  to  Great  Salt 
Lake,  published  in  May  or  June  1852,  described  a  cross- 
fox  from  Utah  under  the  name  Vulpes  macrourus,  to  which 

'This  name  being  preoccupied,  Mr.  Bangs  renamed  the  form  rubricosa. 
Science,  NS.,  vn,  pp.  271-272,  Feb.  25,  1898. 

*Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Wash.,  xn,  pp.  36-38,  March  24,  1898. 

Proc.  Wash.  Acad.  Sci.,  December  1900.  (66t) 


;  r 


'3 


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h 

fs. 


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662 


MERRIAM 


specimens  from  all  parts  of  the  far  west  have  been  usually  re- 
ferred. Additional  specimens  from  the  type  locality  are  not  at 
hand ;  hence  I  have  been  obliged  to  characterize  the  species 
from  specimens  collected  in  other  parts  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
— from  Colorado  and  Wyoming.  Comparison  of  the  scanty  ma- 
terial available  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  with  corre- 
sponding specimens  from  the  Great  Plains,  the  Cascade  Range 
in  Oregon  and  Washington,  and  the  High  Sierra  in  California, 
has  led  me  to  recognize  as  distinct  three  a'lditional  species, 
heretofore  confounded  under  macrourus. 

Of  the  Alaska  red  foxes  little  is  known  and  only  one  species 
has  been  described — the  large  Kadiak  Island  species,  Vulpes 
harrtmani^  recently  published  by  me  in  these  Proceedings.' 
Two  others  from  Alaska,  one  from  British  Columbia,  and  one 
from  Labrador  are  here  added  to  our  fauna. 

Mr.  Bangs  has  kindly  loaned  me  his  types  and  other  speci- 
mens from  Labrador,  Newfoundland,  and  Nova  Scotia,  thus 
enabling  me  to  compare  these  forms  directly  with  those  from 
Alaska  and  the  northern  United  States.  Good  skins  with  skulls 
are  still  needed  from  various  parts  of  Alaska,  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain region,  and  the  southern  United  States. 

As  a  result  of  the  present  study,  twelve  species  and  sub- 
species are  recognized.     These,  with  their  type  localities,  are : 


Vulpes  fulvus  Desmarest 

mactvurus  Baiid  > 

necator  sp.  nov. 

cascadensis  sp.  nov. 

rubricosa  Bangs 

rubricosa  bangsi  aubsp.  nov. 

deletrix  Bangs 

alascensis  sp.  nov. 

alascensis  abietorum  subsp.  nov. 

kenaiensis  sp.  nov. 

harritnani  Merriam 

regalis  sp.  nov. 


Virginia. 

V/asatch  Mountains,  Utah. 

Southern  High  Sierra,  Calif. 

Mt.  Adams,  Washington. 

Nova  Scotia. 

Labrador. 

Newfoundland. 

Lower  Yukon,  Alaska. 

Stuart  Lake,  British  Columbia. 

Kenai  Peninsula,  Alaska. 

Kadiak  Island,  Alaska. 

Elk  River,  Minn. 


Of  these,  the  last  three  ( regalis^  harritnani^  and  kenaiensis ) 
are  very  large — probably  double  the  bulk  of  the  common  east- 
em  red  fox ;  abietorum  is  only  slightly  smaller ;  alascensis  is 
still  slightly  smaller  and  hardly  larger  than  deletrix^  rubricosa^ 

>  Proc.  Wash.  Acad.  Sd.,  ii,  pp.  14-T5,  March  14,  1900. 


.  'I 


^mi 


mmttm 


REVISION    OF   THE   AMERICAN    RED    FOXES 


663 


and  bangsi;  then  comes  macrourus,  and  finally  the   smallest 
members  of  the  group,  cascadensis,  necator,  und/ulvus. 

In  the  large  species  {regalis,  harriniani,  and  kenatensis)  the 
males  are  enormously  larger  than  the  females ;  in  the  smaller 
species  the  sexual  disparity  in  size  is  much  less  pronounced. 

VULPES   FULVUS  (Desmarest). 

PI.  XXXVII,  fig.  1. 
Cants  fulvus  Desmarest,  Mammalogie,  i,  pp.  203-204,  1820. 

Type  locality. — Virginia. 

Range. — Northeastern  United  States. 

Characters. — Size  small ;  face  small  and  sharp ;  tail  terete  and  rather 
small ;  black  of  fore  and  hind  feet  extensive  and  reaching  far  up  on  legs. 

Color. — Face  rusty  fulvous,  profusely  grizzled  with  vtrhitish ;  upper- 
parts  bright  golden  fulvous,  varying  to  fulvous,  darkest  along  middle 
of  back;  hinder  part  of  back  slightly  grizzled  vtrith  whitish;  chin, 
throat,  and  band  down  belly  white ;  black  of  forefeet  spreading  over 
whole  foot  and  reaching  up  broadly  to  elbow ;  black  of  hind  feet  reaching 
up  in  narrow  band  .along  outer  side  of  thigh.  Tail  fulvous,  profusely 
mixed  with  black  hairs  which  are  most  abundant  on  distal  half  of 
under  surface ;  a  black  spot  near  base  of  upper  surface ;  tip  white. 

Compared  with  Vulpes  vulpes  of  Sweden,  V.  fulvus  is  smaller ; 
tail  shorter  and  smaller ;  rusty  of  face  paler  and  very  much  more  pro- 
fusely mixed  with  whitish  [in  vulpes  the  rusty  is  nearly  pure]  ;  black 
of  fore  and  hind  feet  very  much  more  extensive.  In  cranial  characters 
the  two  are  quit    distinct,  as  shown  under  V.  alascensis. 

Skull. — Small ;  face  and  rostrum  small  and  slender ;  bullae  smaller 
than  in  any  other  American  species  and  sloping  gradually  (instead  of 
rising  abruptly)  from  basioccipital ;  basioccipital  broad. 

Teeth. — Rather  small ;  premolars  well  spaced ;  upper  carnassial  with 
anterointernal  cusp  moderately  developed  but  not  projecting  strongly 
from  plane  of  inner  side  of  tooth ;  ist  upper  molar  smaller  than  in  any 
described  species. 

Measurements. — Average  of  3  males  from  southern  New  England : 
total  length  1034;  tail  vertebra  394;  hind  foot  163. 

VULPES  MACROURUS  Baird. 

PI.  XXXVI,  fig.  I. 
Vulpes  macrourus  Baird,  Rept,  Stansbury's  Expd.  to  Great  Salt  Lake,  pp. 

309-310,  June  1852  ;  Mammals  N.  Am.,  pp.  130-133,  1857. 
Vulpes  Utah  Audubon  &  Bachman,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phila.,  p.  1 14, 

July  1852. 


I      I 


■-  > 


(^ 


i-ii 


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I- 


664 


MERRIAM 


Type  locality. — [Wasatch  Mts.  bordering]  Salt  Lake  Valley,  Utah. 

Range. — Mountains  of  Colorado,  Utah,  and  Wyoming. 

Characters. — Size  and  general  appearance  oifulvus,  but  tail  much 
longer ;  hind  feet  larger ;  black  of  feet  and  legs  much  less  extensive. 

Color. ^ — Nose  dull  brownish  fulvous,  grizzled  with  buffy;  sides  of 
face  between  nose  and  eyes  dusky,  grizzled  with  whitish ;  rest  of  face 
mixed  buffy  or  buffy  fulvous  and  whitish ;  back  yellowish  fulvous, 
darkest  on  median  line,  palest  on  sides  of  neck  and  flanks ;  outer  sides 
of  legs  dark  reddish  fulvous ;  black  of  forefeet  reaching  up  narrowly 
nearly  to  elbow ;  black  of  hind  feet  narrow  and  hardly  reaching  ankle. 
Tail  grizzled  grayish  buff  mixed  with  black  hairs,  the  black  hairs  on 
upper  side  of  base  forming  a  broad  blackish  patch.  Chin  dusky; 
whitish  of  throat  and  breast  darkened  by  underfur  showing  through. 

Skull. — Similar  to  that  oifulvus,  but  bullce  much  larger  and  rising 
abruptly  from  basioccipital ;  basioccipital  narrower ;  carnassials  slightly 
larger;   ist  upper  molar  decidedly  larger. 

Measurements. — A  young  $  from  Wind  River  Mts.,  Wyoming: 
total  length  1015  ;  tail  vertebrae  461  ;  hind  foot  172. 

VULPES   NECATOR  sp.  nov.     High  Sierra  Fox. 
PI.  XXXVI,  fig.  2. 

Type  from  Whitney  Meadows  near  Mt.  Whitney,  High  Sierra, 
Calif.  (Altitude  9500  ft.)  No.  f^^^,  ?  yg.  ad.,  U.  S.  National  Mu- 
seum, Biological  Survey  Coll.  Sept.  i,  1891,  A.  K.  Fisher.  Orig. 
no.  940. 

Range. — Southern  or  High  Sierra,  California. 

Characters. — A  small  fox  of  the  Julvus  group,  resembling  fulvus 
externally,  but  cranially  most  closely  related  to  macrourus.  Tail  small 
as  in  fulvus  (or  smaller),  differing  widely  from  the  big  tail  of  mac- 
rourus. 

Color. — Face  dull  fulvous,  strongly  grizzled  with  whitish ;  sides  of 
nose  dusky,  grizzled  with  buffy ;  upperparts  from  back  of  head  to  base 
of  tail  dark  dull  rusty  fulvous,  becoming  much  paler  on  sides,  where 
the  whitish  underfur  shows  through ;  black  of  forefeet  reaching  up  on 
upper  surface  of  foreleg  to  elbow ;  black  of  hind  feet  ending  at  or  near 
tarsal  joint,  with  only  slight  traces  on  outer  side  of  leg ;  tail  at  base 
fulvous,  becoming  buffy  whitish  and  profusely  mixed  with  long  black 
hairs ;  base  with  the  usual  black  spot ;  tip  white. 

A  male  from  Atwell's  Mill,  East  Fork  Kawcah  River,  Tulare  Co., 
California  (alt.  6300  ft.),  collected  the  last  of  March,  is  in  the  black- 

>  From  a  male  from  Wind  River  Mts.,  Wyoming,  August  38,  1893. 


\^ 


REVISION    OP    THE    AMERICAN    RED    FOXES 


ess 


cross  pelage  :  back  grizzled  black  and  whitish  or  buffy ;  sides  biiffy ; 
feet,  legs,  and  belly  black ;  tail  mainly  black  with  tip  white. 

Skull. — Compared  with  cascadensis,  its  nearest  geographical  neigh- 
bor, the  rostrum  is  more  slender,  the  bullae  smaller,  and  in  adult  males 
the  zygomata  much  more  spreading.  The  carnassials  both  above  and 
below  are  slightly  larger  and  more  swollen ;  the  ist  and  2d  upper  molars 
and  2d  lower  molar  are  decidedly  larger.  Briefly,  the  rostrum  is  more 
delicate  and  slender,  the  molars  (except  the  3d  lower)  larger  and  heav- 
ier. The  heel  of  the  2<l  upper  molar  is  broader  and  less  emarginate 
posteriorly.  Compared  with  macrourus  from  the  Rocky  Mts.,  the 
resemblance  is  closer  and  the  differences  less  marked  :  the  rostrum  is 
slightly  narrower  and  more  constricted  laterally;  the  bulla;  slightly 
smaller;  the  upper  molars  slightly  larger  (heel  broader);  3d  lower 
molar  decidedly  smaller. 

Remarks. — Externally  the  High  Sierra  Fox  in  red  pelage  resembles 
the  common  red  fox  of  the  eastern  United  States  {/ulvus)  much  more 
closely  than  it  does  either  cascadensts  or  macrourus.  It  differs  from 
fulvus  however  in  having  the  sides  of  the  nose  much  darker  (distinctly 
dusky)  ;  black  of  legs  much  restricted ;  fulvous  of  back  duller  and  red- 
der ;  ground  color  of  tail  buffy  instead  of  fulvous. 

Vulpes  necator  is  apparently  more  closely  related  to  its  Rocky 
Mountain  ally  (macrourus),  now  separated  by  the  full  breadth  of  the 
Great  Basin,  than  to  its  immediate  neighbor  of  the  northern  Sierra 
{cascadensis')  whose  range  it  doubtless  meets,  as  cascadensts  has 
been  found  as  far  south  as  Mt.  Raymond  in  Mariposa  County,  Calif. 

Measurements. — Type  specimen  (  ?  )  :  total  length  930 ;  tail  verte- 
brae 345  ;  hind  foot  150.  A  J  from  Atwell's  Mill,  on  the  west  flank  of 
the  Sierra,  measured:  total  length  1003;  tail  vertebrae  381 ;  hind  foot 
171. 

VULPES   CASCADENSIS  sp.  nov. 

PI.  XXXVI,  fig.  3. 

Tyfe  from  Trout  Lake,  base  of  Mt.  Adams,  Cascade  Range  (near 
Columbia  River),  Washington.  No,  92767,  S  yg.  ad.,  U.  S.  Na- 
tional Museum,  Biological  Survey  Coll.  March  3,  1898,  P.  Schmid. 
(Black-cross  phase.) 

Range. — Cascade  Range  in  Oregon  and  Washington,  and  north- 
ern Sierra  Nevada  in  California ;  northern  limit  unknown. 

Characters. — A   short-tailed,  small-toothed   mountain   fox   of  the 

fulvus  group,  commonest  in  the  '  black-cross '  pelage ;  when  in  red 

pelage,  yellow  instead  of  fulvous  (like  a  small  edition  of  regalis).     In 


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666 


MERRIAM 


cranial  and  dental  characters  very  close  to  _/i//w«j  /  not  very  close  to 
macrourus. 

Color. — Red  Hhase :  General  color  of  head  and  upperparts  straw 
yellow ;  face  from  nose  to  eyes  dull  yellowish  fulvous ;  rest  of  top  of 
head  and  base  of  ears  pale  straw  yellow ;  back  golden  yellowish-ful- 
vous ;  tail  very  pale ;  black  of  ears  and  feet  greatly  restricted,  that  of 
fore  and  hind  feet  confined  rather  narrowly  to  upper  surface,  and 
mixed  with  pale  fulvous. 

Black-cross  phase :  Top  of  nose  grizzled  brownish,  sides  of  nose 
and  imperfect  ring  around  eye  dusky  or  blackish,  grizzled  with  whitish ; 
top  of  head  yellow'-h  white,  the  black  underfur  showing  through ; 
dorsal  cross  (back  and  shoulders)  blackish,  overlaid  and  nearly  con- 
cealed by  yellowish  white  or  buffy ;  sides  of  neck,  flanks,  and  post- 
scapular  region  golden  yellow ;  distal  two-thirds  of  ear  black ;  fore- 
feet black,  grizzled  above  elbow  with  whitish  and  yellowish ;  hind  feet 
and  legs  grizzled  dusky  anJ  buffy,  becoming  nearly  black  on  top  of 
feet ;  chin,  throat,  and  band  Hown  middle  of  belly  black  or  blackish ; 
inner  sides  of  thighs  waohea  with  dusky.  Tail  black  mixed  with  buffy 
and  tipped  with  white  [in  some  specimens  nearly  all  black  to  white 
tip].  Specimens  from  Mt.  Hood  and  Ft.  Klamath,  Oregon,  are 
practically  identical  with  those  from  Trout  Lake,  State  of  Washington. 

iikull. — Similar  to  that  oifulvus  but  bullae  larger ;  ist  upper  molar 
(find  usually  upper  carnassial)  slightly  larger.  Compared  with  ma- 
crourus the  carnassials,  ist  upper  molar  (and  usually  the  zd  also),  and 
2d  lower  molar  are  smaller.  The  premolars  also  are  usually  smaller, 
particularly  the  lower  series. 

Measurements. — Average  of  three  males  from  Mt.  Adams,  Wash- 
ington: total  length  1070;  tail  vertebrae  412;  hind  foot  178. 

VULPES   RUBRICOSA  Bangs.     Nova  Scotia  Fox. 

PI.  XXXVII,  fig.  3. 

Vulp(    penmylvanica  vafra  Bangs,  Rroc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  vol.  x«, 

pp.  53-55,  March  16,  1897  (name  preoccupied). 
Vulpes  pennsylvanica  rubricosa  Bangs,  Science,  NS.,  vii,  271-272,  Feb.  25, 
1898. 

Type  locality. — Digby,  Nova  Scotia. 

Range. — Nova  Scotia — limits  unknown. 

Characters. — Size  rather  large ;  color  deepest  and  darkest  of  all  the 
red  foxes ;  tail  large,  very  broad  and  bushy,  and  deep  fulvous.  Ros- 
trum and  teeth  larger  than  in  fulvus. 

Color. — Upperparts  deep  rich  and  very  dark  fulvous ;  black  of  fore 
and  hind  feet  reaching  up  a  short  distance  on  legs,  but  less  extensive 


< 


.-, — — _.j 


HiS^ffl^^ 


( 


REVISION   OK   THE   AMERICAN    RED   FOXES 


6&f 


than  in  fulvus ;  tail  rich  dark  fulvous,  with  basal  ring  like  back ;  rest 
of  tail,  except  white  tip,  bountifully  mixed  with  black  hairs,  most 
abundant  below. 

Skull. — Size  essentially  the  sime  as  fulvus  of  corresponding  sex ; 
similar  to  fulvus  in  general  characters,  but  rostrum  slightly  more 
swollen;  teeth  larger.  Premolars  larger,  more  swollen,  and  less 
spaced;  carnassials  larger  ;   ist  upper  molar  larger. 

Measurements. — Type  specimen  (9  old):  total  length  1077;  tail 
vertebrae  401 ;  hind  foot  166  (from  Bangs). 


VULPES  RUBRICOSA   BANGSI  subsp.  nov. 

Type  from  Lance  au  Loup,  Labrador.  No.  8880,  9  (young  of 
year).  Bangs  Coll.     Oct.  2,  1899,  Ernest  Doane. 

Range. — Labrador — limits  unknown. 

Characters. — Simil.a  externally  to  fulvus  but  ears  smaller ;  black 
of  ears  and  feet  more  resti  Jted.    Skull  as  in  rubricosa  and  deletrix. 

Color. — Upperparts  golden  fulvous,  as  in  yw/vw* ;  tail  bountifully 
mixed  with  black  hairs,  as  l.^  fulvus  and  allied  forms  ;  black  of  ears  re- 
stricted to  apical  half  or  less ;  black  of  fore  and  hind  feet  not  reaching 
up  on  legs. 

Skull. — Very  close  to  rubricosa.,  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in 
greater  narrowness,  particularly  of  the  zygomata  and  posterior  part  of 
palate,  and  in  slightly  larger  teeth.  The  differences,  however,  do  not 
appear  to  be  constant  or  reliable — see  remarks  under  deletrix. 

Measurements. — (  i  ,  not  full  grown,  measured  in  flesh  by  collector)  : 
total  length  964 ;  tail  vertebrae  378 ;  hind  foot  168 ;  ear  from  notch  88. 

VULPES   DELETRIX  Bangs. 

PI.  XXXVII,  fig.  2. 
Vulpes  deletrix  Bangs,  Proc.  Biol.  Soc.  Washington,  Vol.  xil,  pp.  36-38, 
Mar.  24,  1898. 

Type  locality. — Bay  St.  George,  Newfoundland. 

Range. — Newfoundland. 

Characters. — Color  very  pale — light  straw  yellow,  deepening  in 
places  to  golden  yellow  or  even  buffy  fulvous  ;  black  of  feet  restricted ; 
tail  pale  buffy  yellowish  with  usual  admixture  of  black  hairs,  but  v/ith- 
out  black  basal  spot.     Hind  feet'and  claws  very  large  (about  160  in  9  ) . 

Skull. — Very  close  to  that  of  rubricosa  but  averaging  narrower ; 
zygomata  less  spreading  in  male ;  bullae  usually  larger ;  teeth  usually 
more  swollen.  Still,  the  resemblance  is  exceedingly  close  and  I  have 
been  unable  to  find  any  positive  character  by  which  skulls  of  New- 


I    ' 


668 


MERRIAM 


foundland,  Labrador,  and  Nova  Scotia  foxes  may  be  certainly  distin- 
guisKed.  Collectively  they  all  differ  iromfulvus  in  slightly  broader 
rostrum  and  decidedly  larger  teeth,  as  pointed  out  under  rub*'icosa. 

Measurements. — Type  specimen  (  9  )  :  total  length  959  ;  tail  ver- 
tebrse  336;  hind  foot  161  (from  Bangs). 

VULPES   ALASCENSIS  sp.  nov. 

Type  from  Andreafski,  Alaska.  No.  21420  [old  ^],  U.  S.  Nat- 
ional Museum.     Feb.,  1880,  E.  W.  Nelson.     Orig.  No.  180. 

Range. — Northern  Alaska — limits  unknown. 

Characters. — A  large  long-tailed  red  fox  closely  related  to  V.  vulpes 
of  Scandinavia  and  Siberia,  and  also  to  rubricosa  and  bangsi  of  Nova 
Scotia  and  Labrador.  Color  golden  fulvous;  tail  very  long;  ears 
small ;  black  of  feet  greatly  restricted ;  pelage  of  neck  and  anterior 
part  of  back  long  and  full,  almost  forming  a  ruff ;  pelage  of  posterior 
part  of  back  and  rump  shorter  and  coarser. 

Color. — Face  and  head  grizzled  fulvous  and  buffy,  strongly  rusty  on 
top  ot  nose  and  around  eyes,  paler  on  cheeks  and  forehead ;  upper- 
parts  fulvous  or  golden  fulvous,  much  like  Massachusetts  specimens 
of  V.fulvus  but  color  deeper,  particularly  on  top  of  neck  and  along 
dorsal  line  of  back ;  rump  and  hind  back  grizzled ;  black  of  feet  greatly 
restricted,  that  of  forefeet  not  covering  whole  top  of  foot  and  not  reach- 
ing above  carpus ;  that  of^hind  feet  confined  to  median  part  of  upper 
surface,  spreading  slightly  over  base  of  toes.  Tail  very  long  and 
bushy,  fulvous  like  back,  with  the  usual  admixture  of  black  hairs. 

Skull. — Broad  and  relatively  short,  with  broadly  spreading  zygomata, 
short  and  rather  narrow  rostrum  (strongly  constricted  laterally  on  plane 
of  2d  or  between  2d  and  3d  premolars),  and  short  upturned  nose. 
Compared  with  its  nearest  geographical  neighbors,  harrimani  and 
kenaiensis,  the  posterior  part  of  the  skull  is  much  the  same,  while  the 
anterior  or  facial  part  is  greatly  reduced  (the  rostrum  being  smaller, 
narrower,  more  constricted  laterally) ,  the  nose  more  upturned,  and  the 
carnassial  and  molar  tooth  smaller.  Compared  with  kenaiensis  the 
carnassials,  ist  upper  molar,  and  2d  lower  molar  are  decidely  smaller. 
Compared  with  harrimani  the  carnassials  and  molars  are  smaller 
and  the  anterointernal  cusp  of  the  upper  carnassial  is  more  anterior 
and  less  protruding  laterally.  Closely  related  to  rubricosa  and  bangsi^ 
with  which  it  may  intergrade ;  resembles  rubricosa  closely  in  size  and 
proportions,  but  differs  in  having  the  rostrum  slightly  broader  and  more 
constricted  laterally,  the  bullae  slightly  larger  (usually),  the  upper  lat- 
eral series  of  teeth  heavier  [lower  series  essentially  as  in  rubricosa"]. 


REVISION   OF   THE   AMERICAN   RED   FOXES 


669 


^ 


W^'^' 


Remarks. — The  Alaska  red  fox  is  evidently  a  large  form  of  the 
small  narrow-faced  fulvus  group,  to  which  rubricosa  belongs.  It 
differs  widely  from  the  large-faced  group  to  which  harrimani,  kenai- 
ensis^  and  regalis  belong.  It  is  closely  related  to  the  typical  Old 
World  Vulpes  vulpes  of  Sweden  and  northern  Siberia,  and  appears 
to  serve  as  a  connecting  link  between  this  species  and  the  small-faced 
fulvus  group  of  eastern  North  America.  It  may  be  distinguished 
from  vulpes,  with  which  it  agrees  in  size,  by  the  following  characters  : 
rostrum  more  swollen  immediately  in  front  of  orbits,  more  constricted 
laterally,  shorter  and  more  upturned  anteriorly ;  bullae  larger ;  basioc- 
cipital  narrower ;  zygomata  broader  and  more  spreading ;  postorbital 
constriction  less  deep ;  incisive  foramina  shorter;  anterointernal  cusp 
of  upper  carnassial  more  prominent  and  forming  a  more  decided  angle 
with  body  of  tooth;  crowns  of  upper  premolars  usually  longer  an- 
teroposteriorly.  Compared  with  V.  abietorum  from  Stuart  Lake  and 
Whitemud,  the  rostrum  [is  much  shorter  and  slightly  broader ;  bullae 
slightly  smaller;  upper  carnassial  (and  usually  lower  also)  more 
swollen.  Compared  with  V.  fulvus  from  the  eastern  United  States, 
alascensis  is  larger ;  the  fur  of  the  neck  and  fore-back  is  longer  and 
fuller,  forming  a  sort  of  ruff ;  the  tail  very  much  longer  and  larger ;  ears 
smaller ;  face  redder  or  more  rusty,  especially  around  eyes  and  over 
bridge  of  nose ;  black  of  feet  greatly  reduced,  as  already  described. 

VULPES  ALASCENSIS  ABIETORUM  subsp.  nov. 

Typeiroxa.  Stuart  Lake,  British  Columbia.  Skull  No.  71197  i  ad., 
U.  S.  National  Museum,  Biological  Survey  Coll.  Winter  of  1893- 
1894,  A.  C.  Murray.     •  Silver  fox.' 

Range. — Interior  of  British  Columbia  and  probably  southeastern 
Alaska. 

Characters. — External  characters  unknown.  The  skull  is  generally 
like  that  of  alascensis  but  lighter,  longer,  and  more  slender.  Skulls 
of  adult  males  resemble  those  of  V.  regalis  but  may  be  distinguished 
by  the  much  smaller  teeth. 

Skull. — Similar  to  alascensis  but  longer,  more  slender,  and  less 
.  massive ;  rostrum  ,^idedly  longer  and  narrower ;  bullae  usually  lar- 
ger; carnassials  (particularly  the  upper  ones),  and  usually  the  ist 
upper  molars  also,  more  slender.  Compared  with  V.  regalis,  with 
which  the  males  agree  closely  in  length,  the  posterior  part  of  the  skull 
is  longer,  the  rostrum  even  more  slender,  and  the  sexual  differences 
less  marked ;  compared  with  skulls  of  the  same  sex  of  regalis,  the 
males  have  smaller  bullae  and  decidedly  smaller  carnassials  and  molars ; 


!; 


^- 


n 


670 


MERRIAM 


the  females  slightly  longer  skulls  and  slightly  smaller  lower  carnas- 
sials.  Compared  with  bangsi  from  Labrador,  the  rostrum  is  decidedly 
longer,  the  carnassials  and  large  upper  molar  smaller  and  less 
swollen. 

VULPES  KENAIENSIS  sp.  nov. 
PI.  XXXVI,  fig.  5- 

Type  from  Kenai  Peninsula,  Alaska.  No.  96145,  i  old,  U.  S. 
National  Museum,  Biological  Survey  Coll.  Collected  in  1898  by  Dall 
DeWeese. 

Range. — Kenai  Peninsula ;  limits  of  range  unknown. 

Characters. — Size  large;  external  characters  unknown;  rostrum 
long  and  much  more  slender  than  in  harritnani^  but  broader  than  in 
regalis.  Skin  not  seen ;  pelage  said  to  be  softer  and  more  valuable  than 
the  neighboring  Kadiak  animal  {harrimani) ,  which  has  very  coarse  fur. 

Skull. — Largest  of  the  known  species ;  facial  part  large  and  long ; 
muzzle  very  broad.  Similar  in  general  to  harrimani  but  rostrum  de- 
cidedly longer,  less  swollen  over  canines,  lateral  constriction  absent,  and 
nose  less  upturned;  zygomata  more  spreading  posteriorly;  frontal 
broader  interorbitally ;  premolars  more  spaced ;  upper  carnassial  and 
1st  upper  molar  huge;  upper  carnassial  with  anterointernal  cusp 
weaker  and  set  more  anteriorly  (not  projecting  so  far  into  palate)  ;  ist 
upper  molar  larger ;  2d  lower  molar  larger  and  more  bellied  on  inner 
side ;  last  lower  molar  often  absent.  V.  kenaiensis  resembles  regalis 
from  the  northern  plains  in  length  of  rostrum,  breadth  of  zygomata, 
and  large  size  and  proportions  of  carnassial  and  molar  teeth,  but  differs 
in  having  the  rostrum  less  slender,  zygomata  more  spreading  posteri- 
orly, and  premolars  very  much  larger  and  more  swollen — in  this  re- 
spect even  exceeding  those  of  harrimani.  Hence,  while  in  some  par- 
ticulars the  species  is  intermediate  between  harrimani  and  regalis^  in 
others  it  departs  materially  from  both. 

Cranial  measurements. — Type  specimen  (  S  ad)  :  basal  length  148 ; 
basilar  length  145  ;  palatal  length  79 ;  postpalatal  length  68.5  ;  zygo- 
matic breadth  82.5  ;  interorbital  breadth  30.5  ;  least  breadth  of  rostrum 
on  plane  of  zd  premolar  (constriction  absent)  27 ;  length  of  crown  of 
pm*  on  outer  side  15.5  ;  length  of  m*  on  outer  side  1 1 ;  length  of  heel 
(transversely)  from  notch  on  outer  side  13. 


( 


VULPES  HARRIMANI  Merriam. 
PI.  XXXVI,  fig.  6. 
Vuipes  harfimani  Merriam,  Pioc.  Wash.  Acad.  Sci.,  vol.  11,  pp.   14-15, 
March   14,  1900. 

Type  locality. — Kadiak  Island,  Alaska. 
Range. — Kadiak  Island,  Alaska. 


REVISION    OF   THE    AMERICAN    RED    FOXES 


671 


(y 


Characters. — Size  large ;  tail  enormous,  constricted  at  base,  largest 
on  basal  fourth  and  tapering  thence  to  tip ;  pelage  coarse,  wolf-like  on 
tail  and  posterior  half  of  back ;  hairs  of  neck  and  shoulders  greatly 
elongated,  forming  a  conspicuous  ruff ;  those  of  posterior  half  of  back 
abruptly  much  shorter  and  conspicuously  grizzled. 

Color. — Nose  to  between  eyes  pale  dull  fulvous,  grizzled  with 
whitish ;  top  of  head  from  between  eyes  to  nape  buffy  whitish,  griz- 
zled with  yellowish  fulvous ;  anterior  half  of  back  bright  yellowish 
fulvous,  the  color  extending  Jown  over  sides  and  belly  nearly  to  median 
line ;  posterior  half  of  back  coarsely  grizzled  buffy-whitish  and  dull 
fulvous,  reddest  along  median  line ;  underparts  yellowish-fulvous  ex« 
cept  chin,  throat,  inguinal  .-egion,  and  a  narrower  strip  on  belly,  which 
parts  are  grayish-buffy ;  ears  black ;  fore  and  hind  legs  and  feet  dull 
pale  fulvous,  with  an  irregular  black  patch  on  dorsal  surface  of  fore- 
foot, and  a  much  smaller  one  on  hind  foot ;  tail  grizzled  grayish  and 
yellowish  fulvous,  the  fulvous  most  marked  on  median  line  of  upper 
surface,  the  black-tipped  hairs  less  abundant  than  in  related  species 
but  sufficiently  plentiful  on  basal  fourth  of  dorsal  surface  to  form  an 
indistinct  black  patch  or  spot;  tip  inconspicuously  white  or  buffy 
white. 

Skull. — Large  and  massive  with  large,  broad,  and  relatively  short 
rostrum,  conspicuously  swollen  over  roots  of  :anines ;  premolars  large 
and  crowded.  Closely  related  to  V.  kenatensts  from  which  it  differs 
as  follows :  rostrum  shorter,  much  broader  and  more  swollen  over 
canines ;  nose  more  upturned ;  frontals  narrower ;  frontal  sulcus  deeper ; 
zygomata  less  spreading ;  upper  carnassial  usually  heavier  with  an- 
terointemal  cusp  more  strongly  developed  and  set  ovat  at  greater  angle 
from  ayis  of  tooth;  ist  upper  and  2d  lower  molav  smaller.  (These 
tooth  characters  are  probably  not  constant.) 

Compared  with  reg-alis,  with  which  it  agrees  in  general  size,  the 
rostrum  and  palate  are  broad  and  short  [instead  of  long  and  slender], 
zygomata  less  spreading;  upper  carnassial  thicker  and  heavier  with 
anterointernal  cusp  strongly  developed  and  projecting  at  right  angle 
into  palate ;  lower  carnassial  more  swollen  (broader,  but  shorter  an- 
teroposteriorly)  ;  2d  lower  molar  smaller,  narrower,  and  more  rectang- 
ular (less  convex  or  bellied  on  inner  side. ) 

Measurements. — Type  specimen  [a  dry  skin]  :  total  length  1 260 ; 
tail  vertebrae  [approximate]  450;  tail  to  end  of  hairs  550;  greatest 
diameter  of  tail,  hairs  laid  naturally,  160 ;  greatest  diameter  of  tail, 
hairs  spread,  250. 

Cranial  measurements. — Skull  no.  98144,  from  Uyak  Bay,  Kadiak 


^  \ 


^ 


672 


MERRIAM 


Island:  basal  length  140;  zygomatic  breadth  77;  palatal  length  74.5  ; 
postpalatal  length  65  ;  breadth  across  postorbital  processes  33 ;  inter- 
orbital  breadth  27.5  ;  postorbital  constriction  22.5  ;  greatest  breadth  of 
rostrum  over  roots  of  canines  26.3  ;  lateral  series  of  teeth  (from  front 
of  canine  to  back  of  last  molar)  66. 

VULPES   REGALIS  sp.  nov.     Northern  Plains  Fox. 
PI .  XXXVI,  fig.  4- 

Type  from  Elk  River,  Sherburn  Co.,  Minnesota.  No.  \\\\\,  i 
ad.,  U.  S.  National  Museum,  Biological  Survey  Coll.  March  5,  1887, 
Vernon  Bailey.     Orig.  No.  659. 

Range. — Northern  Plains  from  Dakota  to  Alberta ;  east  to  Mani- 
toba and  Minnesota ;  limits  unknown. 

Characters. — Size  largest;  ears  very  large  and  broad;  tail  very 
long  but  diameter  less  than  in  rubricosa;  sexual  difference  in  size 
great ;  color  a  beautiful  golden  yellow,  becoming  almost  buffy-white 
on  face  and  posterior  part  of  back ;  legs  abruptly  dark  fulvous ;  black 
of  feet  very  pure  but  restricted  in  area. 

Color. — Face,  top  of  head,  and  base  of  ears  pale  straw  yellow 
becoming  pale  fulvous  around  eyes ;  a  darker  area  on  each  side  of 
nose,  reaching  from  whiskers  nearly  to  eye ;  upperparts  golden  yellow 
or  pale  yellowish  fulvous,  becoming  almost  buffy-white  posteriorly  and 
grizzled  on  hinder  part  of  back ;  fore  and  hind  legs  abruptly  red  or 
rusty  fulvous,  in  striking  contrast  with  yellow  of  body ;  forefeet  in- 
tensely black,  the  black  reaching  up  on  front  face  of  leg,  narrowly,  to 
halfway  between  wrist  and  elbow ;  hind  feet  intensely  black  on  upper 
surface,  the  black  narrowing  posteriorly  and  ending  at  or  near  ankle ; 
dark  fulvous  of  outer  side  of  thigh  sometimes  narrowly  mixed  with 
t^Tizzled  black  and  whitish.  Tail  with  basal  ring  like  back,  without 
black  hairs ;  rest  of  tail  to  white  tip  buffy,  strongly  intermixed  with 
long  black  hairs,  especially  on  underside. 

Skull. — Skull  large,  long,  and  relatively  massive,  with  long  slender 
rostrum,  broadly  spreading  zygomata,  large  inflated  bullae,  and  narrow 
slender  premolars.  Compared  with  V,  kenaiensis^  its  nearest  ally,  it 
may  be  distinguished  by  more  slender  rostrum,  and  very  much  nar- 
rower and  more  spaced  premolars.  From  harrimani  it  differs  in 
slightly  greater  length ;  much  longer  and  narrower  rostrum  and  palate ; 
more  spreading  zygomata;  larger  and  more  inflated  bullae  ;  less  prom- 
inent frontonasal  sulcus ;  narrower  and  more  spaced  premolars ;  nar- 
rower upper  carnassial,  with  anterointernal  cusp  weaker  and  less  pro- 
jecting over  palate ;  upper  molars  decidedly  larger ;  lower  carnassial 


li 


'   .^MiMWi*^— r-'f«   '..  — iiTwiiaWrftibMJ''- 


r 


REVISION    OF   THE    AMERICAN    RED    FOXES 


673 


i 


more  slender;  2d  lower  molar  broader  and  more  bellied  on  inner 
side. 

On  account  of  the  ^reat  disparity  in  size,  skulls  of  V.  regalis  re- 
quire no  comparison  with  those  of  the  same  sex  of  the  fulvus  group ; 
but  females  of  regalis  agree  so  closely  in  size  with  males  oi  fulvus  that 
care  is  necessary  to  distinguish  them.  V.  regalis  may  be  known  by 
the  size  of  the  bullae,  which  are  larger,  and  the  form  of  the  postglenoid 
process,  which  is  much  broader  at  base,  shorter,*  and  less  vertical. 

Measurements. — Type  specimen  (J  ad.)  :  total  length,  in  flesh, 
1 1 17;  tail  vertebrae  from  well  made  dry  skin  420;  hind  foot  in  dry 
skin  1 70 ;  ear  from  anterior  base  in  dry  skin  98.  An  adult  9  from  Car- 
berry,  Manitoba,  measured  in  flesh:  total  length  1050;  tail  392;  hind 
foot  (dry)  157. 


I 


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PLATE    XXXVl. 
Carn.«,aU„dmol„.ee.h„IRedr„xe.      An      . 

o-  I'a^j  karrimani  J>     tt»-i.  « 


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:! 


w 


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^'W^i 


J 


■■i 


PLATE    XXXVII. 
Carnwsial  and  molar  teeth  of  Red  Foxes.    All  natural  size. 
F,o.x.   ^«'/«/«;;-.^^.>K..d.U.>rel.M  ^o.  ,0,488. 

'•  ^!f^:^tr;'^'  "•  ""'''''  ^°^'  ^«-'  ^»-  ^^-  '«93.     NO.  „6. 

'^  "        ;;-'^:^'''^  («76) 


7 


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